Match safe and vending device



Jan. s, 1924.

R. laurLlr-:R

MATCH SAFE AND VENDING DEVICE Filed April 12. 1923 gss 4 illlfllllllllllllllll Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNIT ED S T AT E S';

Ros'rUs BUTLER, ornrrmi conaav, NoaTH CAROLINA.

MATCH SAFE AND VENDING DEVICE.

Applicationy filed api-i112, 1923,Y Serial No, 631,711.

To all whom t may conce/m: Y

Be it known that I, Ros'rUs BUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Cohary, inthe county of Sampson and State of North Carolina, have invented new and usefull Improvements in Match Safes andY Vending Devices, of which the following is a specification.V 'f

This invention relates to a match safe and vending device, andthe primary object of the same is to provide a container for the purpose specified wherein a quantity of matches may be safely stored andfdisposed to gravitate towards a lower specially constructed and novel form of outlet extremity from which only one match can be removed `households or tobacco or otherstores.

at a time by the user in several particular ways, and Vtherebyleconomize in domestic or public distributionfor use'of matches further object of the invention is to provide a simpleform of matchsafe and vending device which may be cheaply manufactured, easily charged and readily mounted in operative position and adapted to be generally used forv'vendingy matches and also advantageously serve as an advertising means for a particular brand of matches.

-With these and other objects and advantagse inview, the invention consists in the constructionand arrangement of the several y'parts which `'will berex'plained: more fully in the subjoied 'description and the features of the' invention' specified in the appended claims.

'Tn the drawings; Figfl, is afsectional side elevation of the improved matchV safe and Yvending device embodying the fearti'lres` ofV the inventionl and showing individual matches in position for removal therefrom inYV three different ways andY Figa 2 1s a transverse vertical section of l the safe'andfvending devicea's shown fby Th improved device structurally comprises a,V solid back '5' and ends 6, theY latter having their lowerV extremities reduced and ofsubstantially V-shaped form or taper, as atff.A The back andl ends Y6 are secured by atop strip 8, which preferably hasran open? ing 9r atYV the center' thereoffthe back strip being continued 'upwardly' in the form"of a' hangen 'extension'j 10 Vand has an opening 11l iii-the center of the reduced part thereof,

- te? geese# mail "er1" other wie? Acres? the upper portion of the ends 6 at the front i is a cross strip 12, which also has a central curved recess 13 opening upwardly through the upper edge thereof. The ends 'adjacent the front edges thereof have Yinner 'grooves 14 extending fully from the upper terminals.

of the ends downwardly' to Vpoints from which the lower extremities of said ends begin to reduce, as clearly shownby Fig. 2.v vrllhe grooves 14 provide seats for the opposite.' edge portionsof ayvglass panel 15, said` panel extending fullyv up toand coincident with the topsurface'of the strip 8 'and vthe upper terminalsof 'theen'ds f6. The

opening 9 lin the strip 8 and the Vrecess 13 in the strip 12 expose the central Vportion of the upper extremity of the panelfl, topermit the panel to be-grasp'edat'this point and withdrawn from the improved" device or v reapplied to the latter 'for the purpose of opening the front to charge thejimproved safe or vending device with matches 'and for enclosing the said matches by'frepla'cing the panel. The front of the improved device ata point slightly above thelowerreduced extremities 7 of the ends '6 Ais reinforced' and strengthened by a cross strip, 16, similar to the strip 12. The parts of'thecontainer or body of the device thus far` describedrare preferably made of wood, but can'be made of any other material, or the" entire device may-be formed'of metal.l To` assist in keeping the improved devicein=` steadyposition when suspended, a metal lloraeket 17r projects from the rear thereofand has an angu# lar flange 18 with an Yopeningf1`91through which a Anail'or other devi'cemaybedriven. to prevent the improved safe or vending machine` fromlaterally swaying orbecomf" ing displaced.

The lower end of theimproved matchsafe and-vending'de'vice' is covered at the' fr'ont andgrearby a substantially V-sh'apedsheet metal' enclosure 20, which AVis firmly secured at opposite edges to thefltaper'ed"e'dgeskff the lowerlreduced extremities-`7`of the'ends 6, the 'front' member ofthiis'fmetal' enclosure 'extending up to the'lower edge'ofthe strip 16, asshow'nlbyV llig. 2. The''upperY portion of the front member of the metal enclosiiiep'ro vides a *stopv terminal fortheY two grooves'14 and the lowen'end of-'the'', ijlass'r panelwhen f the latter is'fully inserted bears' againstthe inner side of the upper porti'onfoftheisaid freut member f the 'Ametalreneosureg TheV .ref een-eraf. @he eee @alteradas a extend upwardly as far as thefront member thereof, as the back depends a considerable distance below the lower edge of the panel l5 when the latter is fully inserted, and to the inner portion of the lower extremity of the said back the upper end of the rear member of the metal enclosure is secured, as at 2l. The lower terminal of thc metal enclosure is in the form of a curved trough 22 and depends below the lower straight edges 23 forming the minimum reduced portions of the lower extremities of the ends 6, thus providing a transverse discharge opening 24. This discharge opening 2e extendsl fully through the lower reduced extremity or terminal of the improved safe or vending device, and at the center the front and rear members of the enclosure are formed with opposed similarly shaped discharge slots 25. Above the slot `25 of the front member of the sheet metal enclosure 2O is an opening 26, preferably of rectangular form, this opening 26 being large enough to permit the fingers of the hand tobe inserted therethrough to arrange any of the matches which vmay be feeding irregularly or donot extend straight across in parallel relation to the remaining` matches. The slots 25 in the front and rear members of the metal enclosure 20 are continuous one with the other, or the lower central portion of the trough and the vsaid members of the enclosure have the metal cut and removed therefrom, so that an opening fully through the lower portion of the lower reduced extremity of the improved device is thus provided.

Loosely and gravitatingly mounted in the body of the improved safe and vending device is a follower 27, of the same contour but materially smaller than the interior of the said body. This follower is disposed on the charge of matches placed within the body, to effect a' regular downward and compact feed of the matches towards the lower reduced extremity or trough 22, this trough 22 being continuous on opposite sides of the lower slots 25.

In charging the improved match safe and vendingdevice, the glass panel l5 is withdrawn and the follower 27 moved towards the top cross or closure strip 8. The matches are then disposed in the body of the improved device and forced downwardly and regularly, in parallel relation, into the reduced extremity of the device between the front and rear members of the sheet metal enclosure 20 and into the lower divided trough 22. It is proposed to form the body of such dimensions that the usual large size box of matches may have the slide containing the matches turned over into the body, to simultaneously deliver all of the contents of the slide into the body, and this operation may be repeated with respect to a number of match boxes or slides in accordance with the capacity of the improved device, or until the body is properly filled. After the matches have been regularly arranged in the body, the follower 27 is placed in position against the upper portion of the matches and the improved sate is closed by again replacing the panel l5. lVhen the improved device is suspended and held in fixed position, the matches may be readily removed from the lower trough 22 in either one of three ways, but one match only can be removed at a time. The match to beremoved is exposed through the central openings 25 and is grasped and pushed laterally through the trough and withdrawn from the end of the said trough, as shown by Fig. l.. The match to be removedrmay be movedeither to the right or left and withdrawn yfrom either end of the improved device, or either end outlet of the trough or discharge chan-Y nel, and in the event the matches crowdy down on the match which is grasped and shifted for removal, the choked match may be released by pushing it in the other directions In the first instance, however, the matchv may be shifted to the left and removed, thereby providing two ways of laten ally removing a match from the lower disL charge extremity of the improved device.'

If it is found necessary in view of the po-r sition of the matches relatively to the discharge trough or channel to remove the match through the lower discharge openings 25, the latter operation may be readily accomplished by pushing thematch first to one side to clear one end thereof and then causing the match to assume the angle illustrated by dotted lines inv Figql. y

The hanger extension and the glass panel may be provided with suitable advertising or indicatingniatter, and the front of the lower delivery extremity may also have explanatory or advertising matter applied thereto. proved match safe and vending device in various sizes, to adapt the same for domestic and vpublic use. It will be seen that the glass panel permits the matches 'inthe safe or device to be exposed and clearly show when itis necessary to recharge thejimproved device. Changes in the minor details of structure may be adopted without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed as new is: l. In a match safe and vending device, a hollow body for receiving the matches hav- It is proposed to make theim-k esV ing a frontvv glass panel removable vertically through the top of-thebody and a solid back and opposite closed ends with lower tapered extremities,` and a lower enclosure closely applied overthe lower tapered extremities of the ends and secured to the back f tudinally through either end or drawn downwardly at an angle through the said intermediate opening.

2. In a match safe and vending device, the combination ot a body having a lower converged extremity,anonyielding metallic enclosure over the lower extremityot the body of substantially V-shaped form provided with a round trough at the lower termination of the enclosure, the trough having an opening at each end below the converged extremity of the body and also having an opening transversely through the center continued through the bottom of the trough, the bottom portions of the trough on opposite sides of the cent-ral opening being closed and providing' for manual withdrawal of the individual matches longitudinally through either end opening of the trough or at the center of the bottom of said trough.

3. In a match safe and vending device, a hollow body having a lower converged end with a non-resilient metallic enclosure having a lower round trough with an opening in each end slightly larger than the maximum diameter of a match and also provided with a central opening transversely through the trough and also through the bottom of the latter, the one side of the enclosure above the lower central opening being also provided with an opening for manually straightening the vmatches which move down into the trough.

4. In a match safe and a containing body having a lower converged discharge extremity formed with a lower terminating trough provided with an opening at each end and also a larger opening at the center, the said larger opening extending transversely and also downwardly through the trough, the trough being closed between the end openings and the said center opening thereof. Y

5. In a match safe and vending device, a hollow body having a front transparent vertically movable panel which is slidable in the ends of the body and insertible and withdrawable through the top of the latter to give.Y access to the interior of the body for depositing Vthe contents of match boxes at one operation within. the body, a follower,

mounted in the body to engage the matches and force them downwardly, the lower extremity of the bodyV being converged andA having a V-shaped enclosure secured thereto and provided with a low'er round trough with an opening therein at each end for longitudinal movement of the matches in opposite directions through opposite ends of the trough, the trough also having a central opening extending transversely and downwardlytherethrough topermit matches to be manually withdrawn at thev lower portion of the center of the trough.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. Y ROSTUS BUTLER. Y

vending device, 

